Rio (pronounced as Rió and not popularly as Río; stylized as RIO) is a new wave band formed in

Pueblo Libre Pueblo Libre ( Spanish for "free village" or "free nation"), formerly known as La Magdalena and commonly known as Old Magdalena () to differentiate it from Magdalena del Mar District, is a district of Lima Province in Peru. Created by Law 9162 ...

, Lima, Peru in the 1980s and has almost 40 years of uninterrupted career. It is composed of Pocho Prieto (vocals and guitars), Cucho Galarza (bass), Chachi Galarza (guitar), the historical members, also Fred Aching (drums) and Juan Carlos Fernández (keyboards).

History

The band was formed in early 1984 in the district of

, Lima. Founders Arturo "Pocho" Prieto and brothers José "Chachi" and Lucio "Cucho" Galarza named the group Royal International Orchest. In this early stage, the group covered English songs. In 1984, they began to write their own songs in Spanish and released ''Son Colegialas'' through the record label El Virrey. Their first release was not very successful due to problems with the publishing house. Nevertheless, they opened doors in the Cono Norte, where they began to give concerts. The following year, the group released " Televidente", recorded at Elías Ponce's studio, not at "El Virrey," and added Coco Tafur on keyboards. With this song, Rio's popularity grew to the point that they were hired for various gigs in Lima and even in the provinces. After many tours, they released their third single, "La Universidad (cosa de locos)." The promotion of the band was greatly helped by the edition of videos that circulated in some musical programs at that time. In 1986, the group released their first album titled '' Lo peor de todo'', presented at concerts in countries like Chile (including the show

Sábado Gigante In a vast number of languages, the names given to the seven days of the week are derived from the names of the classical planets in Hellenistic astronomy, which were in turn named after contemporary deities, a system introduced by the Sumer ...

), Mexico, and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. In 1988, they released their second album ''Dónde vamos a parar'' (1988), with songs like "Todo Estaba Bien," "Lo Empiezo a Odiar," and "Contéstame." This LP took Rio on tour across many countries in Latin America. Their third production, '' Revolución'', recorded and mixed in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

in November and December 1989 and released in January 1990 only in cassette format, did not achieve the success of its predecessors and went almost unnoticed. This album included songs like "Pierdo la Razón" and "Mónica." A couple of years later, in 1992, Rio released their fourth album: ''Strip Tease'', released in Chile and Bolivia. This album included songs like "Al Norte de América" or "Tienes que Pagarme Más," along with "Dulce y amargo" and "Tarará," which were promoted during the first half of 1989 but were not included in their previous album. Two years later, they released their fifth album: ''Rock and Qué?'', featuring songs like "Carol Quiere un Viaje a Londres" or "No Me cabe Duda." Rio's subsequent albums were ''Relax'' (1996), ''Día de pesca'' (1997), and ''La cría'' in 1999. After this album, Rio took a break before releasing what would be their ninth album, ''Boomerang'' (2003), featuring songs like "Bella Luna," "Traicionera," and "Moriría por Ti.".

Rio Today

In 2004, they performed for the Peruvian community in Spain, in 2006 in New Jersey, and in 2007 in Los Angeles. Since then, they have continuously toured the United States and Europe. In 2005, the group recorded the version "Por tu amor" by vernacular singer Sonia Morales, who also performed. That year, their album ''20 años'' was released, featuring the band's successes from 1986 to 2006.

Discography

Albums

* ''Lo peor de todo'' (1986) * ''Dónde vamos a parar'' (1988) * ''Revolución'' (1990) * ''Strip Tease'' (1992) * ''Rock and Qué?'' (1994) * ''Relax'' (1996) * ''Día de pesca'' (1997) * ''La cría'' (1999) * ''Boomerang'' (2003) * ''Río en vivo'' (2006) * ''Lo peor de todo – Grandes Éxitos'' (2008) * ''Duetos & más'' (2009)

Singles

* "Son colegialas" * "Televidente" * "La Universidad (cosa de locos)" * "Todo estaba bien" * "Lo empiezo a odiar" * "Contéstame" * "Pierdo la razón" * "Mónica" * "Al norte de América" * "Dulce y amargo" * "Tarará" * "Tienes que pagarme más" * "No me cabe duda" * "Carol quiere un viaje a Londres" * "Bella luna" * "Traicionera" * "Moriría por ti" * "Por tu amor" (with Sonia Morales) * "Y quiero ser feliz"

References